EU drafts regulation prolonging ban on Ukrainian grain imports to 5 EU countries until Sept 15

MOSCOW. June 5 (Interfax) - Poland's Agriculture Ministry has received a new draft regulation from the European Union extending the ban on the import of four crops from Ukraine to its five EU neighbors until September 15, 2023, Ukrainian media outlets said, citing Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus' social media post.

"We have received from the European Commission a draft of a new regulation banning the import of 4 products to the 5 countries. The effective date provided for in the draft is September 15 this year," Telus said.

Hopefully, this document will come into force from tomorrow, he said.

The EU's ban on the import of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed from Ukraine took effect on May 2, replacing the unilateral import bans imposed by Ukraine's neighbor countries, in particular Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, back on April 28.

The EU said that Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia pledged to lift their unilateral measures on these and all other imports from Ukraine. The EU document bans the free circulation of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. Only the transit of Ukrainian grain via these countries is permitted.